autox february 2012

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BMW K1300S,MERCEDES-BENZ C63 AMG & CLS

52 | autox.in | february 2012

FEATURE

BETTERPERFECT

��THE GERMANS KNOW HOW TO TURN A PERFECT CAR INTO A BETTER ONE. TO VALIDATE THIS THEORY, WE PRESENT TO YOU THE 2013 PORSCHE BOXSTER.TEXT PRITHVI RADHAKRISHNA

february 2012 | autox.in | 53

PORSCHE BOXTER S

TEXT JARED SOLOMON


Would he upgrade? Well, from the

expression on his face you could

tell that he was very impressed with

the Yeti’s capabilities, he didn’t

expect it to handle the short test as

easily as it did and yes, the luxuries,

comfort, refinement and especially

the air conditioning was something

he could really get used to. But, he

did miss some of the simplicities of

the Jeep, first the visibility which in

the Yeti according to him was terrible,

especially off-road, where he found it

tough to judge the overhangs of the

car and more importantly, he missed

the manual 4wd control which gave

him that much of an edge when in

some really treacherous terrain.

Ultimately I asked him the

question, would he buy one? And

after much deliberation he said he

wouldn’t, it wasn’t the matter of

paying almost three times the price

of a new Jeep but rather, that he

would miss the familiar feel and

reassurance of his trusted steed.

So while he did see the progress in

the Yeti, he didn’t think he wanted

to leave the old world and tradition

of his Jeep behind, he trusted the

Jeeps completely for decades and

that is a bond hard to break or

reestablish. Besides, everyone in the

neighbouring area probably wouldn’t

give the Yeti the same amount of

respect they gave the Jeep, after all

that was the tradition!

So in the end I guess it boils

down to this, for mild-offroading

and tackling rough terrain the Yeti is

a supremely capable vehicle while

fitted with all the creature comforts

one would need and while the Jeep

offers superior off-road capability, it

is at the cost of refinement, dynamics

and a thousand other things that a

modern fellow like me would not be

able to live with. So I suppose, the

more traditions change for progress,

the more they remain the same for

some people.

FEATURE



SKODA YETI vs MAHINDRA MM550

TEXT DHRUV BEHL IMAGES ROLLS-ROYCE & DHRUV BEHL


FEATURE


ROLLS ROYCE FACTORY


FEATURE

HERE’S AN AGE OLD RIVALRY WITH A TWIST. YES, IT’S MERCEDES VERSUS BMW AGAIN. BUT WE’VE COLLECTED A VERY UNIQUE, AND EQUALLY SPECIAL, TRIO TO SEE WHICH WILL PREVAIL. TEXT & IMAGES ASHISH JHA

BMW K1300S & MERC C63 AMG & CLS

would do high speeds too – only, it was

as confident as a girl on a beach full of

naked men.

Thankfully, BMW kept improving the

bike – and it ultimately became the

1300S. The engine increased in capacity

to 1,293cc, and an 8bhp increase made

the spec sheet even more impressive.

That wasn’t quite necessary though, as

the 1200 was plenty fast anyway – but

no one’s complaining! The technical

changes weren’t just for the heck of it

either. The shape of the combustion

chamber was altered and cylinder head

revised to alter gas flow characteristics.

The new cam profiles and more

sophisticated engine management

system have made the engine stress-

roads, and the bike was easily at home

in both settings. I hadn’t, however,

encountered any twisty bits – that is,

until we had an early morning start

for photography. And the snaky roads

en route to the location really brought

out the superbike character of this

sports-tourer. The handling is neutral,

and though the 1300 is a big bike, it

loves to corner hard. It’s an immensely

satisfying machine, and that’s got much

to do with the tech bits that BMW have

thrown in, they say.

Now, I’ve got a technology handicap,

and Norman Hossak isn’t my best friend.

But he’s the guy who invented something

that the design and engineering guys at

Motorrad call the ‘Duolever’ suspension

free, and the vibrations – well, there

aren’t any. The key change, though,

is that the engine feels a lot more

eager than the 1200 – it’s got massive

character. The K1300S has such

sorted gearing that it feels like the most

amazing sports cruiser out there – better

even than Honda’s impressive VFR with

its dual clutch wizardry. The engine

characteristic is such, and the torque

delivery so linear, that you can just leave

the bike in top gear and cruise all day

long without worrying about anything.

And yet, all it takes is a little twist of the

throttle to get the scenery flashing past

at a rapid pace.

The 1300 is beautifully balanced. I

rode it on both open highways and city

And then, there’s the way this thing

goes. 0 to 100 clicks in less than 5

seconds – yes, the K1300S would have

it licked well-and-proper (0-100km/h

in under 3 seconds after all) but the

theatre of the C63 can’t be matched

by anything. It’s naughty, it’s playful

– switch off the traction control and it

leaves a grin on your face that only Joker

from the last Batman film can match. It

leaves your armpits sweaty, and your

lungs gasping for oxygen. The steering,

surprisingly for a Mercedes, is extremely

direct and even has a meaty feel to it.

You know what the fronts are doing all

the time, and that entices you to bury

your right foot even deeper. The rear

slides out, and your instinctive reaction

is counter-steer. What you have then is

a trail of white smoke in your rear-view

mirror, and the beaming expression of a

child. And that’s what a car of this caliber

should do – bring out the child in you.

The C63 does more than that in fact – it

becomes a child along with you.

And, in stark contrast to that is the third

machine we have here – the CLS. It’s a

rich old fart, reading an autobiography

in his modern apartment. Don’t get me

wrong, the CLS may just be – I repeat,

may just be – the most sensible car in

the segment. Or maybe not – what with

its shamelessly awkward clothing? The

original CLS proved that luxo-barges

could be style masters too. Then Porsche

proved that they can’t, and Audi, in turn,

proved once again that they can – with

the A7. And this segment is catching on

so well that BMW will soon be out with its

style icon too, the 6 Series Gran Coupe.

The CLS, though, spoils the case for itself

with the way it looks because it’s just not

cohesive. The front end is all brash and

loud – to the extent of looking much like

the SLS from some angles, which is a

good thing – but the rear end looks like

the designers stuck a whale’s face for the

car’s gluteus maximus.

But, if you forgive its looks, the CLS

does come across as a remarkable car.

It’s no slouch either – the 350, with its 305

horsepower and 370Nm shifts rapidly –

FEATURE



BMW K1300S & MERC C63 AMG & CLS

WE GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE 24 HOURS OF DUBAI TO EXPERIENCE THE SWEAT AND BLOOD THAT GOES INTO IGNITING THE PASSION OF A SELECT FEW WHO DREAM OF SUCCEEDING IN THE TOUGHEST FORM OF MOTORSPORT – ENDURANCE RACING.

TEXT JARED SOLOMON IMAGES KAPIL VASHIST & JARED SOLOMON

AMEN.


FEATURE


24H OF DUBAI

work relentlessly and tirelessly, without

grumbling as they tweak the cars to

perfection at any time of the day, or night.

After the practice session, the

qualification rounds began and, in

the GT Class, it was UAE based AUH

Motorsport/FF Corse team on pole

position in a Ferrari 458 Italia, followed

by Italian AF Corse team with the same

car. Third position in the top class went

to JRM Nissan with their Nissan GT-R

GT3. After the qualifying session, the

organizers threw a welcome party for

the teams and drivers complete with

belly dancers and a BBQ. This was the

final chance for everyone to unwind

and relax before the gruesome 24-hour

race finally began.

The next day was race day, and it

begins early as the technicians and pit

crews once again are the first to report

into the paddock for their regular routine

of tyre checks, engine checks, and

electrical checks. My admiration for the

mechanics and technicians has certainly

been elevated, as I got a first-hand view

of how tedious their tasks can be and

how important it is for them to remain

sharp and focused for more than 24

hours of non-stop action. The grid

line-up began and everyone, including

spectators and the families of team

members, are allowed onto the starting

grid to get an up-close-and-personal

view of the cars – as well as have a quick

chat with the teams before the race gets

underway. It’s almost like a carnival of

speed, as you walk by powerful cars,

which, combined, would add up to more

FEATURE


than 25,000 horses – not to mention

plenty of sexy grid girls that set your

heart pumping at 1000bpm.

Soon enough, the starting grid is

cleared out as the drivers begin to take

their seats and get ready for the start

of the race. At 1400 hours, the cars

started their engines and completed a

formation lap after which the race was

flagged off and 73 screaming engines

raced past the starting line – the longest

24-hour duration of their lives had just

begun. The team paddocks are racing

with excitement in their own specialized

way, and the crowd cheers for their

teams – all for the love of motorsport.

The 24-hour race is perhaps one of the

most demanding forms of motorsport.

Teams require their cars to be in top

condition, and capable enough to

last 24 hours of hard driving and high

revving, which can take a huge toll on

cars’ engines. The pit crews need to be

attentive at every moment, and drivers

need to be healthy and physically fit. It

is highly demanding on the machines as

well as the team members.

After 2 hours, 46 laps had been

completed by the leader, Dutchman

Peter Cox of Reiter Engineering in

his Lamborghini Gallardo, who was

followed close by Irishmen Matt Griffin

of AF Corse SRL in his Ferrari 458 Italia.

The action never stops, and the race

leaders are continuously changing. 4

hours into the race and 120 laps later,

it was German driver Claudia Hurtgen

of Saudi Falcons 1 who was in first

place in her BMW Z4 GT3, and she was


24H OF DUBAI

THE DAKAR - MUCH LOVED, OFTEN HATED AND THE MOST GRUELLING TEST OF MAN, AND MACHINE. IT’S NOT A RALLY RACE, IT’S AN EPISODE IN LIFE THAT BUILDS CHARACTER. TEXT PRITHVI RADHAKRISHNA


FEATURE


DAKAR RALLY 2012

autox february 2012

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